The 36-hour marathon book reading session, which starts
Saturday at 9 a.m. and ends Sunday at 8 p.m., is a fundraiser for DISCO, a
non-profit located in Woodlawn that teaches creative writings skills to
Birmingham schoolchildren. But the banned book reading marathon is also meant to shine a light on censored
books in advance of National Banned
Books Week, which kicks off Sept. 22.

"The whole point is to celebrate the freedom to read,"
Lillis Taylor, the coordinator for the Readathon, told AL.com. "So the criteria
is a book that has been banned or challenged in a public school system or a
public library."

Participants of any age can sign up to read sections lasting from five minutes
to half an hour or more. Readers can choose from more than 30 banned books over the weekend, from children's books - including
classics like "Where the Wild Things Are," "Green Eggs & Ham," "Alice in
Wonderland," and "Winnie the Pooh" - to books for younger adults, like "Are You
There, God? It's Me, Margaret," and "Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

On Sunday morning at 2 a.m., DISCO will play a pre-recorded
reading of Ellison's "Invisible Man," which includes the voices of DISCO
volunteers, students, and staffers. At 10 a.m., live readings of selections
from banned books will resume and continue until noon.

Throughout the event, there are planned distractions,
including visits from the Cantina and Slice food trucks, popsicles from Steel
City Pops, yoga, a happy hour thanks to Avondale Brewing Company and
International Wines, and comedy from Ugly Baby Improv.

If you can't make it Saturday or Sunday, you can watch a
livestream of the event on DISCO's website.

Taylor - who said she personally "can't imagine a world
without 'Catcher in the Rye'" - is hopeful that the diversity of books will
draw interesting crowds throughout the weekend.

Folks interested in supporting DISCO's mission can sign up
to read at the organization's website, but "walk-ins" are welcome too, Taylor
said. You can make donations to DISCO at
Fundly.

"Show up on Saturday or show up on Sunday and there will
definitely be at least a 5-minute spot for you."